Ed O'Bannon Case Decision Strikes a Cord With Remorseful Terrelle Pryor: 'It Was a Rule, I Broke It'
ByThe decision in Ed O'Bannon's class-action lawsuit against the NCAA has inspired Seattle Seahawks quarterback Terrelle Pryor to apologize for his wrongdoings.
According to ESPN, Pryor publicly apologized for the sanctions the NCAA found him responsible for after his junior season at Ohio State. Pryor and four teammates were going to miss the first five games of the next season, but he left for the NFL instead.
The NCAA concluded in their investigation that five Ohio State Buckeyes players, including Pryor, exchanged team memorabilia for tattoos and cash. Though he denied the allegations against him, Pryor was also accused of driving with a suspended license.
"I'm glad they did that," Pryor said on 710 ESPN Radio in Seattle. "The only thing I will say about that is when I was at Ohio State, all you see is red jerseys in the stands and you see a lot of No. 2s [his jersey number in college]. I'll leave it at that."
Pryor's comments appear to be an admission of guilt, but he said he does not think he did anything wrong. The Oakland Raiders drafted him was drafted in the third round of the NFL Supplemental Draft in Aug. 2011. The NFL then imposed a five-game suspension for the former Ohio State QB.
"It was a rule, I broke it and I was wrong for that," Pryor said. "At the time, I was getting in trouble - and I don't even call it being in trouble. I don't think helping my mother, who was in need, is being in trouble. I'll never regret that. The only thing I regret is hurting certain fans, teammates and coaches."
Pryor also said he agrees with O'Bannon's stance in his long-fought legal battle with the NCAA and that student-athletes should be able to market their own name, image and likeness. He even alleged that some student-athletes are steered toward certain classes, validating O'Bannon's "athlete masquerading as a student" statement.
"I won't say any school names," Pryor said. "But the schools are telling you to take certain classes that you can pass so you can play. The problem with that is, if a guy like that gets hurt and now can't get that 500 grand or up to $5 million in an NFL contract, the guy hasn't learned a lot.
"He didn't learn to be a lawyer. He didn't learn to take the things he needed to move on, and now he has to go to school again. I see it going on an awful lot and I think it needs to be addressed."